Wish lists are widely successful mechanisms to promote sales as well as to provide a way to personalize or tailor gifts by allowing the recipient or beneficiary a means of publishing his or her desires. However, there are many limitations in conventional wish list mechanisms. One such limitation is the potential for misunderstanding due to unfamiliarity with a product or product domain. This misunderstanding can arise when the wish list is populated or when the wish list is employed by a gift-giver. For example, unless the creator of a wish list is technically familiar with the items entered, it can be difficult to know precisely what is desired. In addition, if the purchaser is not familiar with the item domain, then similar mistakes can arise.
Conventionally, populating a wish list is a matter of allocating time to sit down and think about what items would be desirable, possibly in connection with browsing a catalog. Yet, ideas for a wish list are often a result of an observation or some other experience, usually at random or at least relatively unpredictable times. Unfortunately, these ideas are often quickly forgotten afterward. Moreover, even when appropriate time is allocated to generating a wish list, such a list is often based upon only a single vendor such as the vendor who maintains the wish list or provides the catalog. Such a vendor may not be the item actually desired or may not be the least expensive. Furthermore other vendors might carry substantially similar items with better features or a lower price.